Emme and Elmo

Emme loves Elmo. Elmo loves Emme.

Studio -- Phase 1 Complete

When we were house shopping last summer, one of the big things that sold Jen and I on our home is the quaint little outbuilding on the side of the property. It's not very big (~10x10), but just big enough for a small table and chairs, maybe a shelf or two, and some nice big prints--perfect for a small gallery/showroom.


The previous owners of the home had 4 kids, one of which was born in the house the day escrow was supposed to close for us (talk about stressful). Anyway, the husband told me he used to use it as a small office, but I suspect it served as a retreat from the chaos of having 4 kids under 5 years old--in a 3-bedroom house, no less. When we bought the house, I always envisioned it as this cool little studio where I could entertain clients and prospects.

So this week (finally), I started on "Phase 1" of the remodel. Phase 1 (sounds official, doesn't it?) consisted of tearing up the existing carpet and padding, ripping out the carpet-tack, and getting rid of the cheap recessed lighting and ceiling fan. Phase 1 also involved patching the holes from where the lights were. Believe me when I say that I have this all mapped out with a project plan, blueprints, cost estimates, etc. I'd show you all the documentation, but it's not important right now... ;)

Unlike most guys, I'm not very mechanically inclined. In fact, I'd consider myself mechanically "declined". Many men are like this, they're just too chicken to admit it. So, the fact that I managed to patch these six holes, cutting drywall and whatnot, is a small miracle in the life of John Schnack. Don't believe me? Here's proof:


Here's one of my six patches. Good, huh?

Here's a pull-back shot of the inside. It's very quaint (e.g., small), but I think it'll be good.

New portrait site has launched!

After lots of work and some serious back-and-forth between my Web host and I, the Schnack Studios portrait site has finally launched!



The focus of the work is on-location child and family portraiture with an emphasis on the fun and unscripted nature of life. I sincerely hope everyone enjoys the site. There are still a few gaps in the content, but the images are all there. Looking forward to creating lots of fun images in the coming year!

Wedding of Erik and Heloisa

Erik and Heloisa were married on Friday, April 13 (yes, Friday the 13th). The ceremony was held at a small Catholic church in Pt. Loma that does half of the mass in Portuguese and half in English. Heloisa is from Brazil, as were many of their guests, so it was pretty cool to see the celebration in both languages. The reception was held at the La Jolla Woman's Club.

Here are some of my faves from the wedding:

Why I'm not a do-it-yourselfer...

CNN article.

Don Imus

Thankfully he's gone. I personally think he should have been fired long ago, not for what he said (although it was horrible), but because he's just BAD on the radio. Easy on the cowboy attire, bro.

Great Op-Ed piece by Joel Stein in the LAT.

Eddie and Rita

Eddie and Rita are getting married this summer down in Mexico. On Saturday we headed down to Moonlight Beach for a mini-engagement session. Eddie and Rita are really cool and were so fun to shoot. Here are some of my faves from the session.